Which model NAK cassette deck sounds the best?
- Thread starter Huck
- Start date
My 682 ZX is still the best sounding tape player I've heard...Very little difference if any to the big 1000...by far it records the nicest tapes I've ever heard.
I'm pretty sure the auto bias and auto azimuth in the 682 are identical to the big Nak 1000.
My 682 ZX works as well today as it did when I bought it back in the day...but for the money it should.
I'm pretty sure the auto bias and auto azimuth in the 682 are identical to the big Nak 1000.
My 682 ZX works as well today as it did when I bought it back in the day...but for the money it should.
maitai
New Member
The three head decks have the instant advantage of 'live' tuning by ear, makes the process much faster.
I have owned several but used many different models. Currently I have the RX-505e, which I am totally satisfied with, with the addition of both sides of the tape without attention.
So to answer the question, I'd choose the CR3, for reason given above.
I have owned several but used many different models. Currently I have the RX-505e, which I am totally satisfied with, with the addition of both sides of the tape without attention.
So to answer the question, I'd choose the CR3, for reason given above.
Had a RX-505....
I had a RX-505 about 6 years ago & and sold it on ebay :tears:, what was I thinking. But Sat made up for it. I found a CR-7a at a local thrift
along with a Nak 550 portable. It played fine but would not FF or RW. Got it home. Pulled the rear well plate & swabbed the idler wheel with some alcohol. Now it zips fw & back. I will shortly replace the idler with one from Electronics Service Labs, just to be safe. Made some recordings & played a few pre-recorded tapes. Damn! It Sound Good!. A buddy who plays a lot of cassettes came over for a listen. He could not belive how it sounded. I've been using a Sony DAT deck & Yammie 3 head deck recently, but the 7a blows them away. I'll will be using cassettes more, now.. I'll probably wind up letting ESL do a complete service in the near future to make sure this one last a while. 
I had a RX-505 about 6 years ago & and sold it on ebay :tears:, what was I thinking. But Sat made up for it. I found a CR-7a at a local thrift
along with a Nak 550 portable. It played fine but would not FF or RW. Got it home. Pulled the rear well plate & swabbed the idler wheel with some alcohol. Now it zips fw & back. I will shortly replace the idler with one from Electronics Service Labs, just to be safe. Made some recordings & played a few pre-recorded tapes. Damn! It Sound Good!. A buddy who plays a lot of cassettes came over for a listen. He could not belive how it sounded. I've been using a Sony DAT deck & Yammie 3 head deck recently, but the 7a blows them away. I'll will be using cassettes more, now.. I'll probably wind up letting ESL do a complete service in the near future to make sure this one last a while. 
circlesky73
Active Member
I love my CR-2a! Great, great sound for little money. Using a set of Petra cables made an even bigger difference to me- made tapes sound more like LPs.
As an aside, I'm really impressed with how well these units (well, my CR-2a) remove tape hiss and leave the highs intact, even without the Dolby turned on!
Old_Tech
Yer-isn't!
Cr-2a + cr-3a
I am deciding to buy the CR-3A as well to go with the CR-2A. I just want them both and these are in good shape. As time goes on they won't get easier to find. Built to last with a little care they will for years to come. I am still trying to decide on one of the higher end models and will have to research more. I like the idea of automatic tape bias -that's cool! The 682 and CR-7 interest me. for now I need to settle in with the 2A and 3A and watch for the perfect high end unit.
I have enjoyed this thread, you guys are great! :yes:
I am deciding to buy the CR-3A as well to go with the CR-2A. I just want them both and these are in good shape. As time goes on they won't get easier to find. Built to last with a little care they will for years to come. I am still trying to decide on one of the higher end models and will have to research more. I like the idea of automatic tape bias -that's cool! The 682 and CR-7 interest me. for now I need to settle in with the 2A and 3A and watch for the perfect high end unit.
I have enjoyed this thread, you guys are great! :yes:
spideyjack
Addicted Member
I got the bug to buy a better cassette deck last fall, had always heard that Naks were the best. I figured that even the top of the line models couldn't cost too much cause "no one listens to tapes any more", boy was I wrong, as you folks know!
I looked at like a million auctions, not just Naks, but Denons, Yamahas, Nads etc. and settled on a nice MR-2 cause it had pitch control and was in my price range (under $100.00 with shipping).
Then like a week after I got it I found a BX-1 at Salvation Army for $8.99! Now I have upstairs and downstairs Naks, Even though they are not the prime models they both sound pretty good, if the lesser two head decks sound this terrific the Dragons and LX3's must be exquisite. Maybe some day!
I looked at like a million auctions, not just Naks, but Denons, Yamahas, Nads etc. and settled on a nice MR-2 cause it had pitch control and was in my price range (under $100.00 with shipping).
Then like a week after I got it I found a BX-1 at Salvation Army for $8.99! Now I have upstairs and downstairs Naks, Even though they are not the prime models they both sound pretty good, if the lesser two head decks sound this terrific the Dragons and LX3's must be exquisite. Maybe some day!
2fives
Active Member
So let me get something straight. The Nak decks use a different head than most making them sound excellent when played back on Nak but you could run into issues when playing back on other brands of decks??
Also I had a CR7a and got rid of it for peanuts due to a idler wheel problem since back then I was young, dumb and full of........ideas I needed a new computer. Think I passed it off for like $150, I inherited it from my sister. :twak:
Also I had a CR7a and got rid of it for peanuts due to a idler wheel problem since back then I was young, dumb and full of........ideas I needed a new computer. Think I passed it off for like $150, I inherited it from my sister. :twak:
goldear
Certifiable Audio Junkie
That isn't even debatable IMHO. ZX-7 over the CR-2 any day of the week.
The ZX-7, and the ZX-9 are are far more servicable than is the Dragon. While the Dragon is an awesome machine, it is the mother of all nighmares to service. I've never seen a such terrifyingly complex mechanism as that contained inside of a Nak Dragon to have to pull-apart for servicing.
I'd pretty-much concur with what most everybody else everybody else has said. I'd rate the top 7 Naks as the 1000ZXL, 700ZXL, CR-7a, ZX-9, Dragon, ZX-7, 68(x)ZX. Of that lot, I've personally owned a Dragon, a ZX-9, and a CR-7A. The CR-7a is the one which I've personally chosen to keep.
spideyjack
Addicted Member
This is from www.sonicsense.com/nakfaq42.htm#naknonnk
Q: Do Nakamichi tapes not sound good on Non-Nak decks?
A: The degree to which this may bother a listener will vary. Nakamichi tapes are certainly listenable on other machines but to fully appreciate the capability of a Nakamichi deck the tape should be played on one. Since the gaps on both the record and playback head is much narrower on a Nakamichi deck, the signal is recorded on a much smaller portion of the tape. The result is clearer detail, definition, and reduced crosstalk. However, other machines heads are not designed to read information in such a small area. As a result high-end and overall sound quality is reduced. Of course when this tape is placed in another Nak, all the sound is there and far surpasses what other machines could reproduce from the beginning. Almost important--all must realize that subtle differences in azimuth between any two decks can create as great (if not greater) of a difference in sound quality between machines as the difference between Nak and non-Nak decks.
Q: Will the incompatibility issue of Nakamichi decks lower my appeal in tape trees and in trading circles?
A: While there are those who choose not to own Nakamichis, most analog tape traders respect Nakamichi and consider them the deck to have "when money allows." This high regard has resulted in many traders saying, "Well, you've got the better equipment. Why don't you just borrow these and return them as soon as you are done." What a Deal!!! For those to whom you will be sending tapes, they may not notice the incompatibility so much until they finally get into the Nak they have always wanted. Then, all those top-notch tapes you have made will fully come to life for them. Just consider it a big favor you are offering ahead of time.
I also like www.vintagecassettes.com for info in various Naks.
jt1stcav
Up and Coming Bottlehead
As mentioned earlier, I also believe ALL Nakamichi two and three-head decks sound spectacular when playing well-recorded TDK, Maxell and Sony CrO2 and Metal cassettes.
I've personally owned the DRAGON, a BX-1 and BX-125, and the DR-2 and DR-1 (the latter I still use today, the others were sold due to financial woes...and I miss that DRAGON)! All my cassettes I either recorded on the DRAGON or the DR-1, and to my ears, all of these cassettes sound equally marvelous played back on the DR-1 and the two-head models when I had them!
My long-term audio memory isn't what it used to be, but I personally can't find fault with the sound quality of any of the Nakamichi decks I've owned, or with the two 680ZX decks my dad owned back in the early '80s. As long as these machines are well calibrated for the tapes played thru them, I believe any Nakamichi cassette deck will sound superb, from the least expensive entry-level model, right on up to the 1000ZXL, 700ZXL, 682ZX, ZX-9 and the CR-7A!
I've personally owned the DRAGON, a BX-1 and BX-125, and the DR-2 and DR-1 (the latter I still use today, the others were sold due to financial woes...and I miss that DRAGON)! All my cassettes I either recorded on the DRAGON or the DR-1, and to my ears, all of these cassettes sound equally marvelous played back on the DR-1 and the two-head models when I had them!
My long-term audio memory isn't what it used to be, but I personally can't find fault with the sound quality of any of the Nakamichi decks I've owned, or with the two 680ZX decks my dad owned back in the early '80s. As long as these machines are well calibrated for the tapes played thru them, I believe any Nakamichi cassette deck will sound superb, from the least expensive entry-level model, right on up to the 1000ZXL, 700ZXL, 682ZX, ZX-9 and the CR-7A!
Old_Tech
Yer-isn't!
Lx-5
I just picked one of these up and the sound is the best I have among my Naks. I have the CR-1, 2 and 3A and they are really nice however the LX-5 has separation and clarity like I have never heard. It has an amazing transport and head assembly. It might be my best. Looks like the consensus here is the CR-7 is the best! Yes?
I just picked one of these up and the sound is the best I have among my Naks. I have the CR-1, 2 and 3A and they are really nice however the LX-5 has separation and clarity like I have never heard. It has an amazing transport and head assembly. It might be my best. Looks like the consensus here is the CR-7 is the best! Yes?
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goldear
Certifiable Audio Junkie
The CR-7a is definitely a member of the club containing top 5 or 6 Naks. The very best Nak is up for debate becuase each has its own strenghts, and weaknesses. The most expensive Nak ever was the 1000ZXL, and it might be the machine most worthy of that particular honor.
Tower Boss
Super Member
Hey goldear,
Yes the 1000ZXL and 1000ZXL Limited were top of the heap price wise. I do not see myself getting one anytime soon, unless I luck into it.
I’m currently running 4 different Nak’s, two CR-7A’s, an RX-505 and a 600. I have owned both a Dragon and ZX-7 in the past and believe the CR-7A’s are their best all around decks.
I would like to get another ZX-7 and looking for ZX-9 / 600II / 700ZXE / 700ZXL / 1000ZXL / 1000ZXL Limited. I always run separate double decks in a system and would love to pair up some of these. I might even try running a Dragon again, as I would actually use it more than I did in the past.
Here are a few photos of the two CR-7A's. Excuse the temporary racks, as I was conducting a shootout between my DBX BX-3MkII & BX-2 Amplifiers and paired up like components for the test.
BTW the BX-3MkII bested the BX-2.
Regards,
TB
Marantz 500
Active Member
That's a fantastic collection, Tower Boss! Many great pieces there. My vote would be for the CR-7, a friend had both the CR7 and Nakamichi Dragon, and although the Dragon was an amazing piece of technology, I couldn't accept the fact that tapes recorded on it only sounded so-so on other decks. The CR-7 didn't have any drawbacks apart from the high price, IMO. I think the CR-4 would also be a great buy if you can find one. Fairly close to the CR-7, but more affordable. Never heard a Nakamichi deck that didn't beat my other decks. Even my old 700 Tri-Tracer sounded wonderful.
Tower Boss
Super Member
Hey thanks for the kudos Marantz 500.
I saw that a few days ago while making the rounds. :scratch2:
Regards,
TB